Career Stats: 2,324 G; .255/.293/.383; 160 HR; 886 RBI; 2,006 H; 912 R; 178-for-261 SB. Bryan Zarpentine is a freelance writer and editor with most of his work focusing on the world of sports. Not only does he already have the championship pedigree from 2019, but just like Lehkonen, he's as versatile as they come . Thats why we wanted to help rectify the situation by coming up with a list of the most underrated baseball players of all time. It's easy to go overlooked when you can call Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges teammates during your career. Nobody in the league could play balls that were hit off of Ebbets Field's high wall in right field like he could, and opposing runners quickly grew tired of testing his arm and failing to advance nearly every time. On July 17, 1941, the Indians were playing the New York Yankees. As a four-time 20-game winner, Tiant doesnt get nearly as much acclaim as he should. One half of a great double-play combination in Kansas City, along with second baseman Frank White, shortstop Freddie Patek was part of the Royals teams that won the American League West from 1976-78. Despite his achievements on the field, Doerr was not selected to the Hall of Fame until the Veterans Committee finally enshrined him in 1986. Johnson was one of them, and Carroll captured how underrated "Indian Bob" truly was: Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but it can also make certain ballplayers nigh unto invisible. We throw around words like ballplayers toss around a baseball during pregame warm-ups in the outfield. The first shortstop to hit 40 home runs in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1969, Rico Petrocelli spent his entire 13-year-career with the Boston Red Sox. Watson became famous for scoring the 1,000,000th run inMLBhistory on May 4, 1975, narrowly beating Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the honor. He led American League third basemen four times inassists, five times indouble plays, and twice infielding percentage. Heres our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. Sievers has the "honor" of being the first man with 300 lifetime home runs not to be elected to baseballs Hall of Fame. He spent his entire career with the Tigers, playing in Detroit from 1977 to 1995. Now go take a look at his career stats. Rick Reuschel, a guy often cited as being underrated, makes an appearance near the top. But with a wiry framehe was 6'2", 160 pounds when the Red Sox drafted himnobody thought he'd be anything more than someone with gap power. Teams:Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Stats:2,019 games, .254 BA, 242 HR, 1,039 RBI, .353 OBP, .408 SLG, World Series titles:3 (1972, 1973, 1974). While his accomplishments with the Pirates were overshadowed by the exploits of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and even manager Jim Leyland, Bell established himself as one of the better shortstops in the game during his time with the Pirates, overcoming his limited range by putting himself in the right position, depending on the batter. The Baseball Hall of Fame was established in 1936 to honor the very best players in MLB, America's oldest organized sport. His real claim to fame, however, came in 1973 when he stepped into the batter's box in spring training, becoming the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. All-Time Stats. Trailing 5-3 as they headed into the bottom of the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers on June 22, 1979, Doug DeCinces stepped to the plate with two outs, Eddie Murray on first base, and a Ken Singleton home run having cut the deficit to one run. Two, he's playing with a two-way player who everybody goo-goo and ga-gas about. UZR: -7.3. Career Stats: 1,941 G; .263/.319/.419; 208 HR; 846 RBI; 1,934 H; 1,125 R; 346-for-444 SB. Not to take anything away from any of those players, all of whom have had excellent careers, but none of them come close to fielding their position as well as Vizquel. Keltner made two outstanding backhanded plays at third to rob DiMaggio, and along with a walk and a ground out, the streak ended. A few even deserved a Cy Young Award or should be in the Hall of Fame. 25 Greatest Action Movies of All Time. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. He would spend nine seasons with the Brewers, making three All-Star teams and leading the American League in home runs with 41 in 1980. Top 100 Players All-Time. The four-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger recipient has long been one of the most underrated players in baseball, but has become one of the best players in baseball over the last several years. It's another simple design with another iconic font on white background. He'll be the first to admit that his selections will invite skepticism and even controversy, which is the very essence of the O-U debate. But Reardon did save at least 20 games in seven straight seasons at one point. But he was also a part of one of the best defensive infields of all time during his time with the Mets in the late 90s. Quizzes; Events; Quiz Creation; Community; Videos; Private Events; Remove Ads . From 1989 through 1990, Oquendo was the Cardinals starting second baseman, and he flourished in the position. Over the next four seasons, Giles would be named to two All-Star teams while posting an average season of .309/.426/.604 with 37 HR, 106 RBI and 10 stolen bases. In 1990, Oquendo set the National League record for fewest errors by a second baseman in at least 150 games by committing only three. This also should paint a great picture of the current roster. The first player to ever open a World Series with a home run, a feat he accomplished in 1969 against the Mets, Buford was generally overlooked due to his more notable teammates getting the majority of the attention: Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Mike Cuellar, Boog Powell and Jim Palmer. Of course, his defense is also a reason why Olerud should be remembered as a great player. It wasnt all bad for a pitcher who won over 200 games and finished his career with a more than respectable 3.28 ERA. Pedro Martinez, one of the best W/L % all time, 2.92 ERA and was just a great pitcher before he got injured, but when everyone think of the 90s and 00s they think of Clemens, Johnson and Maddux. Career Stats: 2,583 G; .271/.332/.442; 304 HR; 1,167 RBI; 2,548 H; 1,443 R; 320-for-438 SB. We can't predict how his career will turn out, but we can say that he's the most average player currently in the game. A member of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship team, Cash's single in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 7 with two outs started a three-run rally that propelled the Tigers to their first championship in 23 years. But he was a big-time contributor and a fine defensive player on three world champions. While it doesn't have the heavy hitters in terms of big name rookies found in the 1981 (Joe Montana), 1984 (Dan Marino, John Elway), and 1986 (Jerry Rice . Jim Edmonds was far from the most talented player of his generation, but he got everything he could out of the talent he had. In both the 1915 and 1916 World Series, Leonard threw complete game victories for the Red Sox, allowing just two runs and eight hits. Who did I miss? Other guys we hear about a lot who appear here include Phil Niekro, Bert Blyleven, Jerry Koosman, Tom Candiotti, Kevin Appier, Danny Darwin, Pete Alexander, Brad Radke, Larry Dierker, Kevin Brown, and Chuck Finley. By contrast, when Babe Ruth died . 10y Dave Cameron. Dozens of ESPN writers and editors submitted more than 20,000 votes ( see full methodology here ) to determine the . Teams:Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, Oakland Athletics, Stats: 760 games, 288-231, 3.34 ERA, 162 CG, 46 SHO, 4,3 K/9 IP. His best seasons came in the years that the Reds won back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976 and were among the most dominant teams in baseball before and after those titles. Steve Finley is the perfect example of a "late bloomer," not breaking out offensively until 1996, his eighth major league season at which point he was already 31 years old. Through much of the 1930s Vaughan was to Gehrig as Hornsby was to Rutha Yankee slugger as the kingpin of the American League, a . Highest vote pct. Rolen won eight Gold Gloves during his career, including five in a row during his prime, making him one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. A switch-hitting left fielder who spent his entire career with the Yankees, Roy White was an excellent defensive outfielder who led all American League left fielders in fielding percentage from 1968 through the 1971 season. I don't think we can count the 2003 Danny Briere deal, so let's go way back for our Sabres pick. After an inauspicious start to his career as a member of the Indians, Brian Giles found himself traded to the Pirates prior to the 1999 season. These underrated players solidified themselves as big leaguers last year and are primed to break out even further in 2023. Furillo led the league in assists in 1950 and again the following season. Voters don't like the paucity of homers from a corner infield spot, but the overall package of offense and defense puts Hernandez . A two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove award winner, Finley was an integral part of the Diamondbacks team that won the 2001 World Series, batting .368/.478/.526 with one home run, two RBI and five runs scored. Maris was never beloved in New York, breaking Babe Ruths record for most home runs in a season at a time when most fans wanted Mickey Mantle to break it. After starting his career with three years of limited playing time in Cleveland, Jay Bell was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1989, where he became the everyday shortstop for the team that went to the NLCS in three consecutive seasons. Six times over his 13-year career, Morris would hit over .300, though he did so with little powerhis 16-home-run season of 1996 was the most he'd ever hit. While the Royals would fall to the Phillies in the World Series, White was also part of the 1985 Royals team that won the only World Series championship in team history. 09-28-2010, 09:33 PM. Career Stats: 1,197 G; .273/.347/.452; 166 HR; 674 RBI; 128-for-189 SB. McRae is one of only a handful of players who have a rule be named after them. So when will the Veterans Committee consider Evans? Without question, the highlight of Abbott's career came on Sept. 4, 1993 when he threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, walking five while striking out three. 4. After going without a hit in the first two games of the series, he went on a tear. He missed his window for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and at this point, its unlikely he'll be considered for alternate induction via the veterans. History & Major Milestones. Career Stats: 1,887 G; .267/.354/.475; 318 HR; 1,147 RBI; 1,703 H; 945 R; 14-for-33 SB. But in reality, Jeff McNeil has been lighting it up at the plate this year, hitting an amazing. Career Stats: 2,488 G; .267/.322/.357; 101 HR; 950 RBI; 2,326 H; 993 R; 321-for-430 SB. Career Stats: 1,865 G; .288/.362/.461; 223 HR; 1,247 RBI; 2,042 H; 1,094 R; 54-for-118 SB. Bottom line: Bit of a mystery how Larry Walker hasnt garnered more support for the Hall. That sounds like a player who should be in contention for the Mount Rushmore of baseball. A five-time All-Star, Cash was a smooth fielding first baseman who was the first player to hit a ball out of Tiger Stadium, clearing the roof on June 11, 1961. When it comes to the great pitchers of the 1980s, much is made of Tigers great Jack Morris and whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but nobody ever brings up the Blue Jays' Dave Stieb. Career Stats: 1,649 G; .259/.329/.445; 237 HR; 879 RBI; 1,505 H; 778 R; 58-for-106 SB. Going without a hit in the first two games of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his work on. York Yankees furillo led the League in assists in 1950 and again the following season 3.28! ; 321-for-430 SB even deserved a Cy Young Award or should be remembered a... 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